With a constant rise in average temperatures across the country with every passing year, more so this time, due to the El Niño conditions, the country really needs to take swift, meaningful actions to deal with the monster of global warming. Further worsening the scenario, the Iran-US war, now in its 3rd month, has gradually started hitting the pockets of people, with the inflated prices of oil and fuel, overall upping the CPI inflation, and cutting down on household savings. One must note that lower the household savings, lower will be a common man’s ability to beat the heat.
Though not much can be expected from the premier, global environmental body, UNFCCC, and its supreme decision-making body, COP, which, for the past few years, has been stuck in a stalemate between the developed and the emerging world on the Loss & Damage Fund; domestically, on the policy side, the recent approval of India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) by the cabinet for the 2031 to 2035 period, to achieve 60 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2035 is a welcome move, yet doesn’t guarantee immediate relief.
As another measure to curb emissions, the government, with the rollout of subsidies for both consumers as well as the manufacturers, has been actively promoting the purchase and sale of electric vehicles. Though the three-wheeler electric vehicle industry has made substantial progress with over 50% penetration, the four and two-wheeler (electric) segment still trails at mere 2 to 6%, and has a long way to go. Further dampening the possibility of a smooth transition, the charging infrastructure in the country is still in the initial stage, not impressive enough to break the mental bloc of typical Indian car owners. Policymakers in this regard must be privy to the fact that shifting from IC engine vehicles to electric ones, is not only an operational or mechanical change, but, more importantly, a behavioural one requiring a dedicated, concerted approach.
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| Image: AI |
Abreast of the complexities of the mass-scale electric vehicle adoption, the Government has shifted its attention towards ethanol blending as a quick solution. Despite facing objections from the automobile lobbies and industry experts, it seems like the government is hell-bent on adopting the same defying all legitimate concerns. Having raised the limits from E15 to E20 in record time and as per the reports, to further E85 & E100 in the near future, is an adventurism by the government, which may have severe consequences for the entire automobile landscape in the country. Considering the conflicting stance of the experts, the current design standards of the vehicles, and the ethanol (or its raw materials) stock in the country, any such decision taken in haste would not only invite a sharp rebuttal but, in the long run, will have far-reaching repercussions.
Rollout of any unscientific, irrational, and overly-ideal measure in the name of a sustainable solution will only bring fallouts, posing unwanted, out-of-the-blue obstacles in the trajectory of Viksit Bharat.